The reefs off Marine Beach at South Cottesloe, sometimes called Elizabeth Reef or North Leighton, are an under-appreciated snorkelling area at the southern end of the Cottesloe Reef Fish Habitat Protection Area. Snorkellers enter by stairs from Marine Parade and find reef close to shore, shallow near the beach and deeper around a yellow marker buoy.

The reef is limestone with ledges and crevices, and fish life is varied. Oddiseas lists snapper, rabbitfish, wrasse, bream, rays, sea hares, silver drummer, dusky morwong, weed whiting, damsels and globefish. Octopus and cuttlefish are found by searching slowly along the ledges.

The area is more exposed than Peters Pool and needs favourable wind and swell. High tide is recommended; when the tide changes, currents can make snorkelling tiring, and in any surge the sharp rocks become a hazard.

It suits snorkellers and new divers who want something quieter than the main Cottesloe beach on a calm morning. The lack of crowds and the variety of fish make it worth the short walk down the stairs.

Depth and position details are limited to snorkelling guides, so treat the coordinates as approximate and check conditions from the top of the stairs before entering. Water temperatures follow the Perth pattern of about 17 °C in winter and 22–23 °C in late summer. The site is also convenient for divers coming from Fremantle, only five minutes to the south, and it makes a good alternative when Peters Pool is crowded. Divers should tow a float, as boats occasionally pass outside the reef.

Drive south along Marine Parade from Cottesloe towards Leighton and park at the roadside parking above Marine Beach, South Cottesloe. Stairs lead from the road down to the beach. Enter from the sand and swim out to the reef; the yellow marker buoy offshore marks a deeper section.

Mosman Park and Victoria Street train stations are about 15 minutes' walk away.

More exposed than Peters Pool and needs favourable wind and swell: low westerly swell and easterly or light winds. High tide is best, as low tide exposes more reef and increases surge. Tide changes can bring currents.

Afternoon sea breezes in summer reduce visibility. Winter storms bring large swell that makes the reef unsafe.

Enter from the beach at high tide, snorkel over the inshore reef and head for the yellow marker buoy to explore the deeper reef, then return along a parallel line.

No operator; local snorkellers and divers.